While we're working on our full review of the Amazon Kindle 2 eBook reader that started shipping today, here are some photos and a video to whet your appetite.

First impressions? Really nice. Though some have called this Kindle 1.1 since it lacks earth shattering new features like the touch screen on the Sony Reader PRS-700, there are enough here to make the Kindle 2 appeal to a wider audience. Chief among improvements is looks-- this is a very attractive eBook reader. First though: who stretched the iPhone 2G? Especially that aluminum back and super-slim design. It looks slimmer than the Sony Reader PRS-505 though it isn't.

Text-to-speech doesn't sound as horribly digitized as we expected and page refresh times seem a little faster than the first version. Compared to the Sony Reader 505 we'd say that the 505 has a wee bit more contrast (the page background is whiter) but the Kindle 2 has a more pleasing font. The screen is definitely better than the Sony Reader 700 since the 700's touch screen reduces contrast and introduces glare. Our full review will have detailed comparisons and comparison photos.

Here's the review which includes the male and female voices reading text aloud and comparisons with the Sony Reader 505 and 700. Enjoy and stay tuned for our full review!